In the fifth chapter of The Science of Discworld, I AM NOT SURE WHAT IS HAPPENING BUT YES. If you’re intrigued, then it’s time for Mark to read Discworld.
I’m saying it again: aside from knowing there are “science†chapters and there are “prose†chapters, I don’t know what this book is going to do. I didn’t even know if the “story†part of it was going to be one story or like… a ton of short stories? In fact, things could turn out that way, but I KNOW NOTHING AND IT IS GREAT.
So is this one single story throughout these pages? It’s possible that it is, and I didn’t expect the continuity that I got here. After Stibbons last experiment, Unseen University is flooded with steam, which is probably not something the wizards expected. The building is warm, all right, which is what they wanted… just not to this degree. It backfired… eh? Eh???
Anyway: the wizards react as they are wont to do. That means they argue a lot. And while it’s no secret at this point that I’m not the wizards’ biggest fan, I do have a soft spot for characters who perpetually bicker. AND DO THESE CHARACTERS EVER BICKER, Y’ALL. They argue about what to do with all the extraneous magic. They make snappy remarks to one another. And then, Hex provides them all with some direction:
+++ This May Be Time For The Roundworld Project +++
Ah, a mysterious piece of advice from Unseen University’s computer! And what exactly is the Roundworld Project?
“It was, er… there was once some suggestion that it might be possible to create a… an area where the laws of magic don’t apply,†said Ponder. “We could use it to learn more about magic.â€
That makes sense to me… sort of? If it’s a realm free from the constraints of the rules of magic, then it would be the perfect place to learn how magic works. It would sort of be like the most ideal laboratory in existence, right? Trouble is, I don’t know what that would look like here, in the Discworld, in this reality. Which is why I was quite shocked when it turned out to be… well, a round world. IT’S IN THE NAME, AND I DIDN’T EVEN THEORIZE THAT. And that weird magical sphere that Dean promptly sticks his finger in (WHY, DON’T STICK YOUR APPENDAGES INTO MYSTERIOUS MAGICAL GEOMETRIC SHAPES, OKAY) is the Roundworld… right?
But what does that mean? What can it do? Will it become large enough that the wizards could step inside of it? DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE? Y’all, I am very into this story, PLEASE GIVE ME MORE.
https://youtu.be/CGm8pCyNziw
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